Of course abstinence education is unrealistic. So are many other government policies.
The bottom line on sex education is that kids need to know the mechanics, and how to use protection. Condoms save lives.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Rewriting Racism
Pretending that racism is extinct is not a responsible way to deal with the real and present discrimination happening throughout our nation. It is more of the cowardice that Holder is railing against.
White guilt is a misnomer - whites don't feel guilty, because most have not done anything wrong. It is simply more racism, disguised as a "victim" mentality. More cowardice.
Solving the race problems of America will take time and dialogue - pretending that the problems have all been solved is not an answer.
White guilt is a misnomer - whites don't feel guilty, because most have not done anything wrong. It is simply more racism, disguised as a "victim" mentality. More cowardice.
Solving the race problems of America will take time and dialogue - pretending that the problems have all been solved is not an answer.
What rights?
I’m all for the proper approach to government assistance - and given what we have seen so far from Obama, he appears to share this belief.
Rendezvous with Reality
I think a "Rendezvous with Responsibility" is more like it.
After the complete disregard shown for Americans and the world by the GOP, it should be no surprise that Democrats are trying to move toward a sustainable future.
We could have moved into the 21st century with a much healthier economy, but thanks to massive deficit spending and a refusal to advance energy alternatives, the GOP has left us with a lot more work to do just to make ends meet.
After the complete disregard shown for Americans and the world by the GOP, it should be no surprise that Democrats are trying to move toward a sustainable future.
We could have moved into the 21st century with a much healthier economy, but thanks to massive deficit spending and a refusal to advance energy alternatives, the GOP has left us with a lot more work to do just to make ends meet.
Trashing Science
Global warming denial and misinterpreted statistics seem to go hand in hand. Not only do we have a denial here of the unprecedented spike in global temperatures, we also have a foolish claim that increased deaths from cancer prove that medical efforts have failed.
In reality, the global temperature figures from satellite data indicate a massive run-up in global temperatures is accelerating, and the cause of increased cancer mortality is increased life expectancy because of a reduction in other causes of death such as heart disease, stroke, and accidents.
Counterfactualism appears to be the modus operandi of the right these days.
In reality, the global temperature figures from satellite data indicate a massive run-up in global temperatures is accelerating, and the cause of increased cancer mortality is increased life expectancy because of a reduction in other causes of death such as heart disease, stroke, and accidents.
Counterfactualism appears to be the modus operandi of the right these days.
Casting Racial Aspersions: GOP on race
It is funny to see a simultaneous complaint against Blacks for being Democrats, and a refusal to allow them into the GOP.
There is a good reason that Blacks don't flock to the GOP, and it isn't the fault of the Democrats.
Blacks are the ones to make concessions. They must abandon their liberalism before the party of conservatism can consider their membership. A simple matter of principle.
There is a good reason that Blacks don't flock to the GOP, and it isn't the fault of the Democrats.
America is not Europe
America is hardly transforming itself into Europe. Some modest reform of tax codes, energy policy and health care is not going to kill the economic engine of the USA. America will remain a superpower, but will need to acknowledge that there is more to that status than military might - we need to lead by example on many fronts to retain/regain the trust of Europe and the world.
Much damage has been done to America over the past few decades, but as noted above, it can be undone.
Much damage has been done to America over the past few decades, but as noted above, it can be undone.
What do kids want? Not the GOP...
I don’t think you grasp the reality of what people voted for.
the policies which the Democrats are pursuing, including nationalized health care and abolition of secret ballots in union elections, aren’t very youth-oriented and potentially could turn off younger voters.
Both of these are policies that the youth of America support. Nationalized health care will solve one big headache that young workers have to face, and card check will help them secure their future. These issues are very much youth oriented, and Obama is headed exactly where youth want him to go.
The issue of tax deductions for charitable contributions is a red herring when it comes to the youth vote, as most youth don’t have incomes that would allow for such deductions. Furthermore, the ultimate impact on charitable contributions is not likely to be large.
I don’t think you’ve found any real leverage here - but keep searching for that opening…
the policies which the Democrats are pursuing, including nationalized health care and abolition of secret ballots in union elections, aren’t very youth-oriented and potentially could turn off younger voters.
Both of these are policies that the youth of America support. Nationalized health care will solve one big headache that young workers have to face, and card check will help them secure their future. These issues are very much youth oriented, and Obama is headed exactly where youth want him to go.
The issue of tax deductions for charitable contributions is a red herring when it comes to the youth vote, as most youth don’t have incomes that would allow for such deductions. Furthermore, the ultimate impact on charitable contributions is not likely to be large.
I don’t think you’ve found any real leverage here - but keep searching for that opening…
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
The Whining Right
Roger L. Simon was on Air America, and complains about his appearance...
Fear was the sales pitch for invading Iraq. Even if you personally had some other reason to support the push to war, the driving force for the invasion was fear - there was no other reason to occupy Iraq.
Being furious and ready to fight is fine, but directing that anger and desire for action into a war on Iraqi soil was a huge mistake. It would be better to channel such feelings to productive ends in the future.
Fear was the sales pitch for invading Iraq. Even if you personally had some other reason to support the push to war, the driving force for the invasion was fear - there was no other reason to occupy Iraq.
Being furious and ready to fight is fine, but directing that anger and desire for action into a war on Iraqi soil was a huge mistake. It would be better to channel such feelings to productive ends in the future.
Talking about race...
Jennifer Rubin takes on Eric Holder on race, proving his point that a conversation is long overdue...
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Fairness?
AWR knows he is not being honest in this piece.
Radio spectrum is a limited public resource, and corporations have an interest in promoting their political agenda using the medium. It is not unreasonable to seek some degree of balance on our public airwaves. Most left-wing radio provides a balanced perspective, because leftists are willing to debate their opponents directly. Right-wing radio tends to eschew this type of debate because it points out how ludicrous the GOP platform really is.
I wish that the Fairness Doctrine were not needed - if corporate radio owners were responsible and did not abuse their monopoly on radio spectrum, it would not be - but given the abuse of our public resources by these moneyed interests, I would not be opposed to some form of fairness being mandated.
This is not a matter of freedom of the press, so much as it is a matter of how the public square has been defiled by one-sided corporate control of radio. Comparisons to non-broadcast media are fallacious.
Particularly idiotic is AWR’s attempt to liken radio spectrum to political power in Washington. We already have a system for ensuring fairness in government, which is our right to vote. Radio spectrum is not allocated on the same basis, so making such a comparison is just plain stupid. Broadcasters who fulfill their obligation to the public would not feel any impact from these regulations.
Radio spectrum is a limited public resource, and corporations have an interest in promoting their political agenda using the medium. It is not unreasonable to seek some degree of balance on our public airwaves. Most left-wing radio provides a balanced perspective, because leftists are willing to debate their opponents directly. Right-wing radio tends to eschew this type of debate because it points out how ludicrous the GOP platform really is.
I wish that the Fairness Doctrine were not needed - if corporate radio owners were responsible and did not abuse their monopoly on radio spectrum, it would not be - but given the abuse of our public resources by these moneyed interests, I would not be opposed to some form of fairness being mandated.
This is not a matter of freedom of the press, so much as it is a matter of how the public square has been defiled by one-sided corporate control of radio. Comparisons to non-broadcast media are fallacious.
Particularly idiotic is AWR’s attempt to liken radio spectrum to political power in Washington. We already have a system for ensuring fairness in government, which is our right to vote. Radio spectrum is not allocated on the same basis, so making such a comparison is just plain stupid. Broadcasters who fulfill their obligation to the public would not feel any impact from these regulations.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Second Guessing the Stimulus
Why would we turn back to the policies that got our economy into this mess in the first place?
The fiscal and monetary policies of the last eight years were a crime. The fundamentals of the US economy have been deteriorating for years, and Bush finally pushed us off the cliff.
Obama will not be able to restore America overnight. Reversing the Reagan Revolution will take decades, but it is the only responsible way forward. Turning back now would be a huge mistake. We still have time to prevent the worst case scenario of a total economic meltdown, but tax cuts are clearly not the answer.
Stimulus is a proven strategy, and despite the unprecedented condition of the economy, a coordinated global strategy is the most sure way to defend the market economies from collapse.
If Obama turns back now, and the economy can’t recover rapidly on its own, the American people will lean ever farther leftward. That is not an outcome that would bode well for the GOP.
The fiscal and monetary policies of the last eight years were a crime. The fundamentals of the US economy have been deteriorating for years, and Bush finally pushed us off the cliff.
Obama will not be able to restore America overnight. Reversing the Reagan Revolution will take decades, but it is the only responsible way forward. Turning back now would be a huge mistake. We still have time to prevent the worst case scenario of a total economic meltdown, but tax cuts are clearly not the answer.
Stimulus is a proven strategy, and despite the unprecedented condition of the economy, a coordinated global strategy is the most sure way to defend the market economies from collapse.
If Obama turns back now, and the economy can’t recover rapidly on its own, the American people will lean ever farther leftward. That is not an outcome that would bode well for the GOP.
Miss Congeniality
Harmless fun. But to portray Ann Coulter as a reasonable person using facts to back up her argument is a joke.
She is perhaps the most partisan person in the current media circus, and her lies know no bounds.
Criticism of her may also cross the line at times, but she deserves the vast majority of barbs she receives.
She is perhaps the most partisan person in the current media circus, and her lies know no bounds.
Criticism of her may also cross the line at times, but she deserves the vast majority of barbs she receives.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Unstacking SCOTUS
Bush had his chance to stack the court, and he did a bang-up job, placing two kooks of the wingnut variety deep into the bench. Obama will likely get a chance to replace one or two justices, but Scalia, Thomas, Alito and Roberts are likely to be a thorn in the nation’s side for decades to come. Even in the best case scenario, Obama can only get a bare majority on the court. It will take at least 20 years to get the SCOTUS anywhere near the center, so quit yer whining.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Illiterate Republicans on Fascism
Authoritarianism is the far right extreme - despotism, if you will. Totalitarianism. On the far left is the polar opposite known as anarchy. Pure individualism, if you will. Democracy is to the left of center, vesting most power in the people. Our Constitutional Republic is slightly to the right of this, but in the same vein. On the far right, you find monarchs, popes and despots.
So why do Republicans keep calling Obama a fascist? Is it to distract us from the very real fascist history and policies of the Bush clan?
So why do Republicans keep calling Obama a fascist? Is it to distract us from the very real fascist history and policies of the Bush clan?
Monday, February 16, 2009
The GOP: A Party for Idiots
It’s not that the average Republican is necessarily a bible thumper, but that the bible thumpers have been courted so heavily by the GOP. The statistics bear this out.
“In 2004, white evangelical or born-again Christians made up a quarter of the electorate, and 78 percent of them voted Republican, according to exit polls.”
A little napkin math makes it clear that nearly 40% of Republican voters in 2004 were white evangelicals. So it’s not so crazy to make this association.
The way to dispel this myth is for the GOP to stop pandering to the evangelical voter. So long as the GOP is actively seeking the support of drooling imbeciles (and nominating them for office), this vision of the GOP will be hard to shake.
“In 2004, white evangelical or born-again Christians made up a quarter of the electorate, and 78 percent of them voted Republican, according to exit polls.”
A little napkin math makes it clear that nearly 40% of Republican voters in 2004 were white evangelicals. So it’s not so crazy to make this association.
The way to dispel this myth is for the GOP to stop pandering to the evangelical voter. So long as the GOP is actively seeking the support of drooling imbeciles (and nominating them for office), this vision of the GOP will be hard to shake.
Ignoring the dark side of Capitalism
We are all well aware of the virtues of genuine free markets - it is their vices that are more worrying.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Pretend Rebels of the Right
It’s all well and good to promote freedom and rebellion, but after watching GWB for eight years, why would anybody believe the GOP is serious about these values?
Actions speak louder than words.
Actions speak louder than words.
Friday, February 13, 2009
Reagan: A legacy of lies
RK: The real problem for conservatives today is not their nostalgic admiration of Reagan, but their distance from Reagan’s moral clarity.
DS: I don’t think the nostalgic admiration is helping matters. The distance from Reagan’s moral clarity comes from seeing the true aftermath of his policies.
Until [GWB] side-stepped into the White House, Reagan was the worst American leader since Herbert Hoover.
Six years into Reagan’s presidency… Reaganomics had “accomplished” quite a bit: doubled the national debt, caused the S&L crisis, and nearly wrecked the financial system.
…
Here’s the truth: we’d already won the Cold War before Reagan took office. All Reagan needed to do was continue the tried-and-true containment policies Harry S. Truman began and all subsequent presidents employed. The Soviet Union was Collapsing from within. The CIA actually told this to Reagan as he took office.
…
Reagan hired over 100 crooks to run our government, and broke several laws himself. His policies were almost uniformly self-defeating, wrong-headed, immoral and unfair.
But you can keep working on that moral clarity.
DS: I don’t think the nostalgic admiration is helping matters. The distance from Reagan’s moral clarity comes from seeing the true aftermath of his policies.
Until [GWB] side-stepped into the White House, Reagan was the worst American leader since Herbert Hoover.
Six years into Reagan’s presidency… Reaganomics had “accomplished” quite a bit: doubled the national debt, caused the S&L crisis, and nearly wrecked the financial system.
…
Here’s the truth: we’d already won the Cold War before Reagan took office. All Reagan needed to do was continue the tried-and-true containment policies Harry S. Truman began and all subsequent presidents employed. The Soviet Union was Collapsing from within. The CIA actually told this to Reagan as he took office.
…
Reagan hired over 100 crooks to run our government, and broke several laws himself. His policies were almost uniformly self-defeating, wrong-headed, immoral and unfair.
But you can keep working on that moral clarity.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Tom Blumer on GDP, recession, and the NBER
Tom Blumer, posting at PJM, tries to blame the Democratic party for the economic mistakes of the Bush administration.
I tested the waters to see how he would respond to having holes poked in his "bubble". Here's a sample of my response:
Tom,
You really need to do a better job if you want to deflect the blame for our failing economy to Obama. Such a “Big Lie” is going to take a lot more than an easily rebutted opinion piece.
The mislabeled “stimulus” will, if it passes, almost certainly extend the conditions we saw during the last half of 2008. Much more of this, and regardless of what NBER says, we’ll soon be thinking of 2008’s first half as “the good old days.”
I see this same argument repeated over and over by right wing blogs. It’s almost like you didn’t even read the revised employment figures you posted. The first half of 2008 we lost almost 800,000 jobs. A little GDP growth means nothing when the “fundamentals” are dropping through the floor. You note revised figures show that “the NBER claims that the recession started in December 2007, in a month when the economy added 120,000 jobs.” What you fail to take into account is that the revised numbers also show larger job losses before and after the 4Q2007.
Somehow I am inclined to believe the Congressional Budget Office is a more neutral source on how well the stimulus will work:
By CBO’s estimation, in the short run the stimulus legislation would raise GDP
and increase employment by adding to aggregate demand and thereby boosting the
utilization of labor and capital that would otherwise be unused because the economy is
in recession.
…
Taking all of the short- and long-run effects into account, CBO estimates that the
legislation implies an increase in GDP relative to the agency’s baseline forecast of
between 1.4 percent and 3.8 percent by the fourth quarter of 2009, between 1.1 percent
and 3.3 percent by the fourth quarter of 2010, between 0.4 percent and 1.3 percent by
the fourth quarter of 2011
…
Correspondingly, the legislation would increase employment by 0.8 million to 2.3
million by the fourth quarter of 2009, by 1.2 million to 3.6 million by the fourth quarter
of 2010, by 0.6 million to 1.9 million by the fourth quarter of 2011
…
I hope this information is helpful to you. If you have any further questions, I
would be glad to answer them. The staff contacts for the analysis are Ben Page
and Robert Arnold, who may be reached at (202) 226-2750.
From NBER:
The committee determined that the decline in economic activity in 2008 met the standard for a recession… All evidence other than the ambiguous movements of the quarterly product-side measure of domestic production confirmed that conclusion. Many of these indicators, including monthly data on the largest component of GDP, consumption, have declined sharply in recent months.
…
Real manufacturing and wholesale-retail trade sales reached a well-defined peak in October 2007.
You claim that “Democrats Halted Recovery”, but there was never any recovery to halt. The housing market is in freefall because of the bubble that grew under Bush & Greenspan’s easy money policies, and the credit markets have seized up for much the same reason. The large bulk of the economic damage was due to holding interest rates below historically verified optimums, driving an over-investment in real estate. The period 2003-2005 is where this policy did the most damage. To prove that the economy was derailed in the summer of 2008, you would need to show that it was getting back on track - but there is no evidence here to show that. In fact, the revised figures point to a more severe downturn in employment in mid-2007, and accelerated losses throughout 2008.
Revisionist history is all the rage on the right these days, but trying to revise history less than two years old is asinine.
I tested the waters to see how he would respond to having holes poked in his "bubble". Here's a sample of my response:
Tom,
You really need to do a better job if you want to deflect the blame for our failing economy to Obama. Such a “Big Lie” is going to take a lot more than an easily rebutted opinion piece.
The mislabeled “stimulus” will, if it passes, almost certainly extend the conditions we saw during the last half of 2008. Much more of this, and regardless of what NBER says, we’ll soon be thinking of 2008’s first half as “the good old days.”
I see this same argument repeated over and over by right wing blogs. It’s almost like you didn’t even read the revised employment figures you posted. The first half of 2008 we lost almost 800,000 jobs. A little GDP growth means nothing when the “fundamentals” are dropping through the floor. You note revised figures show that “the NBER claims that the recession started in December 2007, in a month when the economy added 120,000 jobs.” What you fail to take into account is that the revised numbers also show larger job losses before and after the 4Q2007.
Somehow I am inclined to believe the Congressional Budget Office is a more neutral source on how well the stimulus will work:
By CBO’s estimation, in the short run the stimulus legislation would raise GDP
and increase employment by adding to aggregate demand and thereby boosting the
utilization of labor and capital that would otherwise be unused because the economy is
in recession.
…
Taking all of the short- and long-run effects into account, CBO estimates that the
legislation implies an increase in GDP relative to the agency’s baseline forecast of
between 1.4 percent and 3.8 percent by the fourth quarter of 2009, between 1.1 percent
and 3.3 percent by the fourth quarter of 2010, between 0.4 percent and 1.3 percent by
the fourth quarter of 2011
…
Correspondingly, the legislation would increase employment by 0.8 million to 2.3
million by the fourth quarter of 2009, by 1.2 million to 3.6 million by the fourth quarter
of 2010, by 0.6 million to 1.9 million by the fourth quarter of 2011
…
I hope this information is helpful to you. If you have any further questions, I
would be glad to answer them. The staff contacts for the analysis are Ben Page
and Robert Arnold, who may be reached at (202) 226-2750.
From NBER:
The committee determined that the decline in economic activity in 2008 met the standard for a recession… All evidence other than the ambiguous movements of the quarterly product-side measure of domestic production confirmed that conclusion. Many of these indicators, including monthly data on the largest component of GDP, consumption, have declined sharply in recent months.
…
Real manufacturing and wholesale-retail trade sales reached a well-defined peak in October 2007.
You claim that “Democrats Halted Recovery”, but there was never any recovery to halt. The housing market is in freefall because of the bubble that grew under Bush & Greenspan’s easy money policies, and the credit markets have seized up for much the same reason. The large bulk of the economic damage was due to holding interest rates below historically verified optimums, driving an over-investment in real estate. The period 2003-2005 is where this policy did the most damage. To prove that the economy was derailed in the summer of 2008, you would need to show that it was getting back on track - but there is no evidence here to show that. In fact, the revised figures point to a more severe downturn in employment in mid-2007, and accelerated losses throughout 2008.
Revisionist history is all the rage on the right these days, but trying to revise history less than two years old is asinine.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
